Maribyrnong College's high achievers go to the wall

Basketballer Paul Tsapatolis is proud to be one of 72 student athletes added to the Maribyrnong College sports honour wall. (Joe Mastroianni)

Young basketball star Paul Tsapatolis is proud to call Maribyrnong College home.

The year 11 student is on the verge of representing Australia at under-17 level and has credited the college’s sports academy for helping guide his development as an athlete.

It all complements the work Tsapatolis is doing with his local club Keilor Thunder and his state and national team coaches.

“We started doing gym sessions in year 7 and people my age are only starting now or last year,” Tsapatolis said.

Tsapatolis, a Vic Metro under-18 national championship winning centre, is certainly not the only athlete to have benefitted from Maribyrnong College’s sports focus.

The college has had many athletes go on to represent their state and nation in a range of sports.

To show how proud they are of their student athletes, Maribyrnong College unveiled a Wall of Fame, featuring the photos of current and former students who have either been selected to represent Australia or got to a professional level in their chose sports. Tsapatolis was delighted when he heard of the idea to recognise the elite sportspeople to have come through Maribyrnong College.

“Just to get that recognition, it says the school is proud to have you there with a photo of you on our wall,” he said.

Tsapatolis’ dream is to become a professional basketballer.

After he completes his studies at Maribyrnong College, the Point Cook resident will decide whether to take to college route to the US or head to Europe to play in EuroLeague.